Windshield cleaner



Mar. 13, 1923.

T. E.R|CHAHDS. WINDSHIELD CLEANER.

FILED MN. 26, 1922.

i ZNS/"EN TUE JZWA ATTDHNE'Y Patented hdm'. 13, 1923:,

ears career mae I THOMLS E. RICHARDS, (S PROVIDENGE, 'RHODE XSLAND, ASSGNGR 01E ONE-WEIRD TO SIMN' SILVERMAN AND ONE-THERE TO HARRY REUBEN ROSEN, 30TH PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

wINDsHrnLlo CLEANER.

ipicatin filed January 26, 1922. Serial No. 531,961.

To all w'wm t may concern.' Be it known that I, THOMAS E. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful vImprovement in Windshield Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

In the usual construction of wind-shield cleaners for automobiles, the wind-shield cleaner is operated by hand. This requires that the driver must remove his hand from the steering wheel and reach forward to. -operate the wind-shield cleaner and this mayV be vnecessary at times when he should have his hands on the steering wheel.

The object of my invention is lto improve the construction of a vind-shield cleaner, whereby the wind-shield cleaner is operated by the foot of the driver and the heretofore undesirable ways of operating the windshield cleaner b v hand, entirely eliminated.

'A further object of my invention is to simplify the construction of such a .toot power ,operated wind-shield cleaner, thereby reducing the cost of' n'lanufacturing the same. c

'My invention'consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a wind-shield cleaner operated'by foot power. said wind-shield cleaner having details of construction, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter and claimed.

Figure 1 is an outside face view of a portiono an automobile wind-shield provided with my improved foot operated 'wind-shield cleaner, the greater portion of the foot pedal connecting` member being broken away.

Figure 2 is a top view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectioial view, taken on line 3, 3 of Figure 1, an "Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sec. tional view, taken on line 4, 4 of Figure 2..l vIn the drawing, 5 indicates a portion of a. wind-shield, 6 a portion of the floor/of an automobile, 7 a foot. pedal and 8 my in proved wind-shield cleaner. Thefw'ind-shield 5 has rthe usual `metal frame tial-xdv glass 10.

The footv pedal'7 has a forward end 11 and` isvpivotally secured at its Hoor end 12 to a floor member 13 secured to the floor 6 by a. screw, in a convenient position for the foot of the driver. y

My improved wind-shield cleaner 8 oonsists of a rectangular box shaped casing 14 having a cover 15 and a lower compartment 16 insrjliich slides a rack 17. yOri-the back of thcasing 1471s a bearing-.18 in whichis a shaft 19` having a vvpinion.20 in the casing 14 and which meshes with the vrack 17. Ou i the outer end of the shaft 19 .isy an arm 21 carrying preferably a rubber wiper 22 which rubs on the glass 10 ofthe windf shield 5. 0n theunderside of the casing 14 is one part 23 cfa clamping member 24 shaped to it the frame 9 of the wind-shield, and on the opposite side i-s the other part 25 of the clamping member 24-shaped Vto fit the frame 9' and secured to the casing 14 'by a screw 26,4 as-shown in Figure 3. 0n

fin the casing 14 and is secured at its upper end, b v solder or other means, to the end of `the rack 17 as shown in' Figure 4 and this wire 29 forms the other connecting operat ing means to the foot pedal 7. The lower end 31 of the spring 28 is secured to the lower end portion of thewiro 29, by solder or other means and the lower end 32 of the wire 29 is pivotally secured to the forward end 11 of the foot pedal 7, as shown in Figure 1. The coiled spring;28 is guidedv through eyes 3 3, 33 secured to the frame 9 Athe outer end of the casing 14 i's'a collar of the wind-shield in any well known way. The operation of 'my improved Windshield cleaner is as follows. 'The .arm 2 1 is held normally under spring tension by the spring 28, in the position, as shown in full lines in Figure 1, with the wiper 22 bearing l on the outside of the glass 10. A downwar pressure of the foot on the pedal 7 pulls the wire 29 downwards,y against the tension of the spring -28-*andthroughthe rack 17,

pinion |.20, lshaft 19 and arm 21 vthe wiper 22 wipes across the glass andremoves rain or moisture from the glass. On removal of the foot from the pedal' the contraction of the spring Lcauses a retrograde movement of the operating parte and the Wiper Wipes back to isvnormal position.

Aiiiiiiviiug `thus described, my invention ciaim es ne'Wz-f i. A ootoperatecl wind-shield cleaner eomprising e; casing having a bearing, a shaft .in the Bearing and hving on one end si pinion in the casing and on the other end mi arm having a; Wiper adapted to bear cn the glass of a Wind-shield, a rackl in the casing and meshing with the pinion, a foot l pedal, a coiled spring secured at one end to "ffiie casing, a f Wire exiendingihrough the ,cyoie spring and secured at; one end to the @olii/end at the other end to thefoot pedal, the olier end of the coileai spring being secured to the Wire, means for securing che @arising to a. wind-shield frame and .means 'for guidmgthe coil spring around the edge of 'che Wind-shield, for the purpose as described.

2. A foot operated Wind-shieldv cleaner comprisiup a casing having a bearing, a Shaft in ge bearing and having on one cud a pinion in *die casing and on the other end an arm 'hai/ingu. wiper adapted to bear on the glass of a Wind-shield, rack in the casing and'mesliing with the pinion, :i fooi pedal, a coiled spring secured at' one end to the casing, a Wire extending through the coiled spring and secured at one end to the rack and at the other eind to the foot pedal, the other end of the coiled spring being ysecureclto the Wire, for he purpose as described. i

In testiiriony whereof9 i have signed my name to ibis specification.

THGMAS E. RTCHARDS. 

